A quick game of catch up,

with a fairly big twist in the middle.

Just a short one, to make sure you know I haven’t forgotten about you. But I think (I hope) I am still in the transitional phase, where I get used to the 5 day work week again (exhausting !), accidentally over fill my weekends with social events, and still have to fit in the never ending loads of laundry. Either that or 33 really is old.

But here we are. Recently, I accidentally made some kind of ratatouille pasta (a delicious game of ‘what limp vegetables can I rescue with a lot of garlic and the rest of the bacon’ – zucchini, tomato, mushrooms, onion, absolutely no eggplant thank you yuck) partly because I hate the throwing out of sad, rotten veg at the end of the week, and partly because we were going away. It has reminded me that basically everything goes on pasta. Or, alternatively, add some cheese and eggs and voila ! you’ve got a quiche.

Otherwise, I’ve been finding my feet at the new job (they’re mostly under my desk, or run-walking to open the front door every 15 minutes), struggling a tiny little bit with being the New Girl (I’ll be fine) who knows nothing (not entirely true but often feels that way), missing the wine shop (or maybe just the wine) and trying to go to pilates, daily, at 6am (nigh on impossible most mornings).

Generally, collecting more tales for the inevitable memoir.

…

WELL WELL WELL. How things can change in a second. I was writing this on Monday, tapping away happily after a long-ish day at work. Aidan and I had a glass of wine, some left overs, and everything was pretty great.

Less than 24 hours later, I was made redundant from the New Great Job.

I’m not going to pretend I was totally Cool and Chill about it, in fact I sobbed on the couch and Aidan rushed home from work to console me (armed with flowers from Grandiflora, from my mum, which they managed to orchestrate very quickly). 30% of our team was cut, and, as my role was a bottom rung / general support and office management / PA kind of thing, I can understand why it was chosen to go.

It is, of course, personally devastating, but it’s also really sad for the industry at large.

It’s not just me.

So, consider this – maybe it’s time to subscribe to a magazine again – sure, you could read it online for free eventually, but without financial support, these publications are going to disappear and they won’t be able to be revived. Everything will just be digital and honestly, that sounds terrible.

Bring back lazy afternoons curled up on the couch with a magazine and a cup of coffee or a little apéro. Sling shot your phone as far away from yourself as possible, and read something properly with your hands and your whole face, not your thumb and half your attention while watching TV.

InStyle Spring 2024 which is a really beautiful September Issue and I am very proud of it. And it contains my name ! In print ! Twice !

Not to mention getting something in the mail !! And if you time your subscriptions right, you can get all sorts of lovely little extras. Skincare, often, and sometimes a sturdy tote bag – so people know you read T Magazine.

The things that we love – and often the things we think of as luxuries, I think, will go away if we don’t support them, and that means financially. Tiny family run restaurants, local cafes, the small brands and independent publications – they will disappear. And everything will become more homogeneous and boring and meaningless. Don’t let this happen. Vote with your wallet, spend less, choose well, share, swap, buy second hand. Celebrate things that are made by people, for people.

Impassioned rant aside, if anyone wants to pay me for my work (wine related, writing work, acting, baby sitting, I’m open !!) you know where to reach me.

goals

And, because it wouldn’t be an etreisabelle newsletter without a few hot recs, here’s a fast 5 of things I love right now.

1. $16 poppies from Harris Farm (I’m on a budget but you can’t put a price on happiness)

2. This opinion piece from the NYT about the importance of the Child Free Auntie by Glynnis MacNicol (which was brought to my attention by

   Aminatou Sow
   who I also highly recommend)

3. Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath in Pillow Talk Deep. I was allowed to raid the Beauty Cupboard on my last day at the mag, and this was a random grab that paid off. I’ve been wearing it over a nude Chanel Rouge 31 lipstick* (also from The Cupboard) and it makes me feel very chic. It’s a plumping lipgloss so it does that funny tingly thing (unconfirmed if it does actually make my lips look any bigger, but it’s hydrating and glossy).

4. This $46 wine – Municipal Wines Savagnin – always a favourite. It’s a salty, oily but still fresh white wine made in Victoria. An exceedingly good paring with roast chicken (or chicken flavoured Brets)

5. Fontaines DC new album, Romance:

*oh my god I just looked the lippy up online and the RRP is 240AUD which is crazy even for Chanel.

In case you were interested, it’s a reusable case which is nice, and the refills are 110AUD which I’ll have to find a way to justify eventually because honey, I am SOLD. They also have a cute virtual try on which is probably just a way for Chanel to access your webcam but it’s fun ! I spent too long doing a 2004esque Photo Booth shoot alone on the couch but none of the photos are shareable here, sorry.

Alright that’ll do. Talk soon, see you on the internet, love you bye. X